KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Upper Iowa football team (4-2, 2-1 GLVC) suffered its first GLVC loss to Truman State (Mo.) (3-3, 2-1 GLVC) on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored 35 unanswered points to win, 41-14, and snap UIU's four-game winning streak.
The Peacocks had three turnovers and two turnovers on downs in the contest. Upper Iowa finished the game 4-of-11 (36.4%) on third downs, tying their season low from the Drake opening loss. The Peacocks also had a season-high nine penalties for 83 yards.
Tight end Eddie Burgess was stopped on a fourth-down tush push on Upper Iowa's opening drive of the game. Truman State's Connor Baxley made a diving interception off of senior quarterback Darryl Overstreet Jr. on the next possession. This gave the Bulldogs an early 6-0 lead with two field goals after starting both drives on UIU's side of the field.
The Peacocks then drove 64 yards all the way to the one-yard line. Damon Head Jr. fumbled on third-and-goal, squandering another early opportunity. The Bulldogs drove 73 yards down the field, but Yashua Pettis-Taylor stopped the drive with his first career interception.
Upper Iowa's offense then had its best drive of the first half, going 85 yards in 10 plays. An eight-yard touchdown by Mante Morrow capped it off for the 7-6 lead. Overstreet Jr. was 5-of-5 on the drive, and he started the game 9-of-10 passing the ball.
On the next possession, TSU quarterback Dylan Hair responded and found Jackson Overton for the Bulldogs' first touchdown. UIU Safety Tade Parsons regained the momentum and the lead, 14-13, scoring on a pick six with 1:03 remaining in the first half.
This marked UIU's final lead of the game. After a kickoff 36-yard return by Gerard Grewe to the Upper Iowa 48-yard line, the Bulldogs scored in four plays with a Dylan Hair seven-yard touchdown scamper. Truman State carried that momentum into the second half.
Truman State outgained Upper Iowa 155-68 in the third quarter, getting the ground game going with 10 rushes for 71 yards to outscore UIU, 14-0. Bulldog running back Denim Cook ran six times for 66 yards, and Hair found Grewe and Nathan Ryan on short passes for touchdowns to lead, 34-14.
Cook scored with 13:09 remaining in the fourth quarter on an eight-yard rush. The Bulldogs added another touchdown to make it 35 unanswered points. UIU scored on an Overstreet Jr. four-yard rush with 4:28 left to cap off a 70-yard drive and make it a 48-21 final score.
Truman State ran for 210 yards while Upper Iowa totaled 71 yards on the ground. The Peacocks held a slight passing yardage advantage, 230-220. TSU outgained UIU 430-301 overall. The Bulldogs only punted once in the game.
Overstreet Jr. finished 22-of-29 (75.9%) with a touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked twice. He added 23 yards on the ground on eight rushes.
Morrow finished with eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. This marked his second-highest receiving total in a game this season. Lonny Melvin Jr. added a career-high 78 yards on six catches.
Linebacker Trevor Thompson led the Peacocks defensively with eight tackles (six solo). Avery Dixon had seven solo tackles, all in the first half. Nevan Foss had six tackles (three solo), while Parsons and Evan Dorn each had five tackles.
Hair finished 23-of-27 (85.2%) for 207 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. His two interceptions were his first of the season. Cook added 15 carries for 110 yards on the ground. Overton was the leading receiver with six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Upper Iowa returns home on Saturday, Oct. 18, against Southwest Baptist (Mo.) (3-3, 2-2 GLVC). The Bearcats fell 26-24 to McKendree (Ill.) (3-3, 3-1 GLVC) after McKendree scored a touchdown in the final seconds on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Harms-Eischeid Stadium.
